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Momentum and Impulse
IMPULSE AND MOMENTUM
PREVIEW
The momentum of an object is the product of its mass and velocity. If you want to change
the momentum of an object, you must apply an impulse, which is the product of force and
the time during which the force acts. If there are no external forces acting on a system of
objects, the momentum is said to be conserved, that is, the total momentum of the system
before some event (like a collision) is equal to the total momentum after that event. In
this chapter, we will discuss examples of both one- and two-dimensional collisions.
QUICK REFERENCE
Important Terms
impulse
The product of the average force acting on an object and the time during which it
acts. Impulse is a vector quantity, and can also be calculated by finding the area
under a force versus time curve.
linear momentum
The product of the mass of an object and its velocity. Momentum is a vector
quantity, and thus the total linear momentum of a system of objects is the vector
sum of the individual momenta of the objects in the system.
internal forces
The forces which act between the objects of a system
external forces
The forces which act on the objects of a system from outside the system, that is by
an agent which is not a part of the system of objects which are being studied.
inelastic collision
A collision between two or more objects in which momentum is conserved but
kinetic energy is not conserved, such as two railroad cars which collide and lock
together.
elastic collision
A collision between two or more objects in which both momentum and kinetic
energy are conserved, such as in the collision between two steel balls.
center of mass
The point at which the total mass of a system of masses can be considered to be
concentrated.
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Momentum and Impulse
Equations and Symbols
p = mv
where
J = Ft = p = mv f  mv 0
p = momentum
m = mass
v = velocity
J = impulse
F = force
t = time interval during which a force
acts
DISCUSSION OF SELECTED SECTIONS
The Impulse – Momentum Theorem
The momentum p of an object is the product of the mass m of the object and its velocity v:
p = mv
The momentum of a moving mass is a vector which has a direction that is the same as the
velocity of the mass. Thus, the momentum of an object can be broken down into its
components:
py
p
p = px + py
px
where px = pcos and py = psin .
The magnitude of the momentum vector can be found by the Pythagorean theorem:
p 
px  p y
2
2
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Momentum and Impulse
Newton’s second law states that an unbalanced (net) force acting on a mass will accelerate
the mass in the direction of the force. Another way of saying this is that a net force acting on
a mass will cause the mass to change its momentum. We can rearrange the equation for
Newton’s second law to emphasize the change in momentum:
 v 
Fnet  ma  m

 t 
Rearranging this equation by dividing both sides by t gives
Ft  mv  mv f  mv 0
The left side of the equation (Ft) is called the impulse, and the right side is the change in
momentum. This equation reflects the impulse-momentum theorem, and in words can be
stated “a force acting on a mass during a time causes the mass to change its momentum”.
The force F in this equation is the average force acting over the time interval.
Example 1
A 2-kg block slides along a floor of negligible friction with a speed of 20 m/s when it
collides with a 3-kg block, which is initially at rest. The graph below represents the force
exerted on the 3-kg block by the 2-kg block as a function of time.
Find
(a) the initial momentum of the 2-kg block,
(b) the impulse exerted on the 3-kg block,and
(c) the momentum of the 2-kg block immediately after the collision.
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Momentum and Impulse
Solution: (a) The initial momentum of the 2-kg block is
kgm
 m
p  mv  2kg  20   40
to the right.
s
s

(b) When the two blocks collide, they exert equal and opposite forces on each other for
the same time interval, and thus exert equal and opposite impulses (Ft) on each other. The
impulse exerted on the 3-kg block can be found by finding the area under the force vs. time
graph:
Impulse = area under F vs. t graph = 20 N s.
(c) Since the 2-kg block is experiences – 20 N s of impulse, which acts in the opposite
direction of the motion of the block, the impulse causes the block to lose momentum. This
loss (change) in momentum is equal to the impulse exerted on the block. Thus, by the
impulse-momentum theorem,
Impulse = change in momentum
Ft  mv f  mvi
mv f  mvi  Ft   40
kgm
kgm
  20 Ns   20
s
s
kg m
Note that a N s is equivalent to
.
s
Example 2
A tennis ball striking a tennis racquet, applies an impulse to it. Suppose the 0.1 kg ball
strikes the racquet with a velocity of 60 m/s at an angle of 30 from a line which is
perpendicular to the face of the racquet and rebounds with a speed of 60 m/s at 30 above
the perpendicular line, as shown below. The ball is in contact with the strings of the racquet
for 12 milliseconds.
y
+x
30˚
Find
(a) the magnitude and direction of the average impulse exerted on the ball by the strings of
the racquet, and
(b) the magnitude of the average acceleration of the ball while it is in contact with the
strings.
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Momentum and Impulse
Solution:
(a) The strings of the racquet exert a force and thus an impulse which is perpendicular to the
face of the racquet, that is, along the +x – axis in the figure above. Therefore the change in
momentum of the ball is also only along the +x – axis:
Ft  p x  mv x  m( v fx  v 0 x )
where v0 x  v0 cos 30 and v0 x  v f cos 30
So the impulse is
m
m
(0.1 kg)[60 cos 30  (60 cos 30)]  10.4 N s
s
s
(b) Since the force is applied in the +x – direction, the average acceleration is must also be
directed along the +x – axis, that is, there is no acceleration along the y-axis.
m
m
[60 cos 30  (60 cos 30)]
v
m
s
s
ax 

 8700 2
t
0.012 s
s
The Principle of Conservation of Linear Momentum
We’ve seen that if you want to change the momentum of an object or a system of
objects, Newton’s second law says that you have to apply an unbalanced force. This
implies that if there are no unbalanced forces acting on a system, the total momentum of
the system must remain constant. This is another way of stating Newton’s first law, the
law of inertia. If the total momentum of a system remains constant during a process, such as
an explosion or collision, we say that the momentum is conserved. The principle of
conservation of linear momentum states that the total linear momentum of an isolated
system remains constant (is conserved). An isolated system is one for which the vector sum
of the external forces acting on the system is zero.
Typically, the AP Physics B exam includes the following types of problems which use
the principle of conservation of linear momentum: recoil in one and two dimensions,
inelastic collisions in one and two dimensions, and elastic collisions in one and two
dimensions. Remember, if a momentum vector is conserved, its components are also
conserved.
Example 3
A toy cannon (m1 = 2 kg) is mounted to two horizontal rails on which it can slide with
negligible friction. The cannon fires a ball (m2 = 0.025 kg) at a speed vf2 = 40 m/s at an
angle of 60 above the horizontal.
(a) Is the total momentum of the system conserved during the firing of the cannon? Explain.
(b) What is the recoil velocity of the cannon after it is fired?
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Momentum and Impulse
Solution: Let’s sketch the cannon and ball before and after they are fired:
Before
After
pf2y
p2f2
pf2x
p1x
60˚
60˚
(a) The total momentum is not conserved in this case, since the horizontal rail provides an
external force acting on the cannon in the vertical direction. Since there is negligible friction
acting horizontally on the cannon, we can say that momentum is conserved in the horizontal
direction, but not in the vertical direction.
(b) Since momentum is conserved in the horizontal direction, we can set the momentum of
the system (cannon and ball) before the collision, which is zero, equal to the momentum of
the system after the collision.
p 0  p f 1x  p f 2 x
0  m1 v f 1x  m2 v f 2 x
0  m1v f 1x  m2 v f 2 cos 60
Solving for the horizontal recoil velocity of the cannon, we get
m
 m2 v f 2 cos 60  (0.025 kg)( 40 s ) cos 60
m
v f 1x 

  0.25
m1
2 kg
s
Collisions in One Dimension
Example 4
A lump of clay (m1 = 0.2 kg) moving horizontally with a speed vo1 = 16 m/s strikes and
sticks to a wood block (m2 = 3 kg) which is initially at rest on the edge of a horizontal table
of height h = 1.5 m. Neglecting friction, find
(a) the horizontal distance x from the edge of the table at which the clay and block strike
the floor, and
(b) the total momentum of the clay and block just before they strike the floor.
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Momentum and Impulse
Solution: The sketches below represent the system before, during, and after the collision.
Before
During
After
(a) Before we can find the horizontal distance the clay and block travel we need to find their
speed vf as they leave the edge of the table. Momentum is conserved in this inelastic
collision:
po  p f
m1 v o1  (m1  m2 ) v f
m
(0.2 kg)(16 )
m1vo1
s 1m
vf 

(m1  m2 ) (0.2 kg  3.0 kg)
s
Now the clay and block have become a projectile which is launched horizontally. We can
find the time of flight by using the height:
1
h  gt 2
2
2(1.5 m)
2h
t

 0.55 s
m
g
10 2
s
m
Then the horizontal distance traveled is x  v f t  (1 )(0.55 s )  0.55 m
s
(b) The momentum of the clay and block just before it strikes the ground can be found by
finding the horizontal and vertical components of the momentum:
kg m
m
p x  mv x  (3.2 kg)(1 )  3.2
s
s
kg m
m
p y  mv y  m( gt )  (3.2 kg)(10 2 )(0.55 s )  17.6
s
s
By the Pythagorea n theorem, the magnitude of the momentum can be found by
kg m 2
kg m 2
kg m
)  (17.6
)  17.9
s
s
s
The angle at which t he momentum is directed is
p
p x  p y  (3.2
2
2
 py 
1 17.6 
  tan 
  80 below the horizontal .
 3.2 
 px 
  tan 1 
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Momentum and Impulse
Example 5
A white pool ball (m1 = 0.3 kg) moving at a speed of vo1 = +3 m/s collides head-on with a
red pool ball (m2 = 0.4 kg) initially moving at a speed of vo2 = - 2 m/s. Neglecting friction
and assuming the collision is perfectly elastic, what is the velocity of each ball after the
collision?
Solution: The sketches below represent the system before and after the collision.
Before
After
vo1
white
vo2
vf1
vf2
red
white
red
Since momentum is conserved in this collision, we can set the total momentum of the
system before the collision equal to the total momentum after the collision:
p01  p02  p f 1  p f 2
m1v 01  m2 v 02  m1v f 1  m2 v f 2
Solving for vf1 we get
vf1 
m1v01  m2 v02  m2 v f 2
m1
But here we have two unknowns, vf1 and vf2, and only one equation. We can generate
another equation containing the same variables if we remember that both momentum and
kinetic energy are conserved in an elastic collision.
KE01  KE02  KE f 1  KE f 2
1
1
1
1
2
2
2
2
m1v01  m2 v02  m1v f 1  m2 v f 2
2
2
2
2
Substituting the equation solved above for vf1 into the equation for conservation of kinetic
energy, we get one equation with only one unknown, namely vf2. Substituting the known
values into this equation and solving for vf2 gives vf2 = +2.3 m/s. Solving for vf1 in the
equation above gives vf1 = - 2.7 m/s.
It can be shown that if we solve the equations for conservation of momentum and
conservation of kinetic energy simultaneously, it always turns out that the relative speeds of
the two masses remains the same (except for a negative sign) before and after a
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Momentum and Impulse
perfectly elastic collision regardless of the masses of the two objects. That is,
v 01  v 02  ( v f 1  v f 2 )
Collisions in Two Dimensions
Example 6
The diagram below shows a collision between a white pool ball (m1 = 0.3 kg) moving at a
speed v01 = 5 m/s in the +x direction and a blue pool ball (m2 = 0.6 kg) which is initially at
rest. The collision is not head-on, so the balls bounce off of each other at the angles shown.
Find the final speed of each ball after the collision.
Before
After
+y
+y
vf2
v01
65˚
+x
+x
blue
25˚
white
vf1
Solution: The components of the momenta before and after the collision are conserved.
Writing the x – components of the momentum before and after the collision:
p 01x  p 02 x  p f 1x  p f 2 x
m1 v 01x  m2 v 02 x  m1 v f 1x  m2 v f 2 x
m
)  (0.3 kg)(v f 1 cos 25  (0.6 kg)(v f 2 cos 65)
s
Here we have two unknowns, vf1 and vf2, and only one equation so far. When we write the
conservation of momentum equation for the y-components of the momentum of each ball,
we see that the total momentum in the y direction is zero before the collision, and thus must
be zero after the collision.
(0.3 kg)(5
p 01y  p 02 y  p f 1 y  p f 2 y
0  m1 v f 1 y  m2 v f 2 y
0  (0.3 kg)(v f 1 sin 25)  (0.6 kg)(v f 2 sin 65)
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Momentum and Impulse
Solving these two equations simultaneously for the unknown speeds gives vf1 = 1.8 m/s and
vf2 = 4 m/s. In any two-dimensional elastic collision in which one mass is at rest, the angle
between the two objects after the collision will be 90.
REVIEW QUESTIONS
For each multiple choice question below, choose the BEST answer.
1. A 0.2-kg hockey puck is sliding along
the ice with an initial speed of 12 m/s
when a player strikes it with his stick,
causing it to reverse its direction and
giving it a speed of 23 m/s. The impulse
the stick applies to the puck is most
nearly
(A) - 2 N s
(B) - 6 N s
(C) - 7 N s
(D) - 70 N s
(E) - 120 N s
Questions 2 – 3: A net force is applied to
a block of mass 4 kg according to the
Force vs. time graph below.
2. The impulse given to the mass
between 1 and 5 seconds is most nearly
(A) 20 N s
(B) 16 N s
(C) 12 N s
(D) 10 N s
(E) 4 N s
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Momentum and Impulse
3. If the mass starts from rest at t = 1 s,
the speed of the mass at t = 5 s is most
nearly
m
(A) 20
s
m
(B) 16
s
m
(C) 12
s
m
(D) 8
s
m
(E) 4
s
4. An astronaut floating at rest in space
throws a wrench in one direction and
subsequently recoils back with a velocity
in the opposite direction. Which of the
following statements is/are true?
I. The velocity of the wrench is equal
and opposite to the velocity of the
astronaut.
II. The momentum of the wrench is
equal and opposite to the momentum
of the astronaut.
III. The impulse applied to the wrench is
equal and opposite to the impulse
applied to the astronaut.
(A) I only
(B) II only
(C) I and II only
(D) II and III only
(E) I, II, and III
5. A block of mass m slides with a speed
vo on a frictionless surface and collides
with another mass M which is initially at
rest. The two blocks stick together and
v
move with a speed of o . In terms of
3
m, mass M is most nearly
m
(A)
4
m
(B)
3
m
(C)
2
(D) 2m
(E) 3m
6. The vector diagram above represents
the momenta of two objects after they
collide. One of the objects is initially at
rest. Which of the following vectors may
represent the initial momentum of the
other object before the collision?
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
(E) zero
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Momentum and Impulse
+y
4 kg
+x
3 kg
7. Two objects of mass 4 kg and 3 kg
approach each other at a right angle as
shown above. The 4-kg mass moves
along the +x – axis with an initial speed
of 5 m/s, and the 3-kg mass moves in the
+y – direction with a speed of 5 m/s. The
two masses collide at the origin and stick
together. Measured from the +x – axis,
the angle of the resulting momentum of
the two objects after the collision is most
nearly
(A) 30 above the +x – axis
(B) 37 above the +x – axis
(C) 45 above the +x – axis
(D) 53 above the +x – axis
(E) 60 above the +x – axis
+y
+x
Questions 8 – 9: A 0.2-kg billiard ball
approaches an identical ball at rest with
a speed of 10 m/s along the +x - axis, as
shown above. The collision between the
balls is perfectly elastic, and after the
collision the incident ball moves at an
angle of 50 below the x – axis.
8. The angle at which the target ball
moves after the collision above the +x –
axis is most nearly
(A) 10
(B) 40
(C) 50
(D) 90
(E) 140
9. The total momentum of the two balls
after the collision is most nearly
kg m
(A) 1
s
kg m
(B) 2
s
kg m
(C) 3
s
kg m
(D) 4
s
(E) zero
10. A bullet moving with an initial speed
of v0 strikes and embeds itself in a block
of wood which is suspended by a string,
causing the bullet and block to rise to a
maximum height h. Which of the
following statements is true of the
collision?
(A) The initial kinetic energy of the
bullet before the collision is equal to
the kinetic energy of the bullet and
block immediately after the collision.
(B) The initial kinetic energy of the
bullet before the collision is equal to
the potential energy of the bullet and
block when they reach the maximum
height h.
(C) The initial momentum of the bullet
before the collision is equal to the
momentum of the bullet and block at
the instant they reach the maximum
height h.
(D) The initial momentum of the bullet
before the collision is equal to the
momentum of the bullet immediately
after the collision.
(E) The kinetic energy of the bullet and
block immediately after the collision
is equal to the potential energy of the
bullet and block at the instant they
reach the maximum height h.
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Momentum and Impulse
Free Response Question
Directions: Show all work in working the following question. The question is worth 15
points, and the suggested time for answering the question is about 15 minutes. The parts
within a question may not have equal weight.
vo
1. (15 points)
A block of mass m is moving on a horizontal frictionless surface with a speed vo as it
approaches a block of mass 2m which is at rest and has an ideal spring attached to one
side. When the two blocks collide, the spring is completely compressed and the two
blocks momentarily move at the same speed, and then separate again, each continuing to
move.
(a) Briefly explain why the two blocks have the same speed when the spring is
completely compressed.
(b) Determine the speed vf of the two blocks while the spring is completely compressed.
(c) Determine the kinetic energy of the two blocks as they move together with the same
speed.
(d) When the spring expands, the blocks are again separated, and the spring returns its
compressed potential energy to kinetic energy in the two blocks. On the axes below,
sketch a graph of kinetic energy vs. time from the time block m approaches block 2m
until the two blocks are separated after the collision.
KE
(e) Write the equations that could be used to solve for the speed of each block after they
have separated. It is not necessary to solve these equations for the two speeds.
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Momentum and Impulse
ANSWERS AND EXPLANATIONS TO REVIEW QUESTIONS
Multiple Choice
1. A
Ft  mv f  v0   (0.2 kg)( 23
m
m
 12 )  7 N s
s
s
2. B
The impulse is equal to the area under the graph from 1 s to 5 s = 16 N s.
3. D
Impulse = 16 N s  (4 kg)(v f  0) gives vf = 4
m
.
s
4. D
Conservation of momentum indicates that the two momenta are equal and opposite, and
since they both experience the same force during the same time interval, the impulses
must also be equal and opposite. Since the two masses are different, their velocities
would not be the same.
5. D
Conservation of momentum for the inelastic collision gives
v 
mv0  (m  M ) 0  , implying that M = 2m.
3
6. B
Conservation of momentum states that the momentum vector before the collision must
equal the vector sum of the momenta after the collision. Adding the two vectors tip-to-tail
gives a resultant which points in the direction of the vector arrow in answer (B).
7. B
After the collision, there is one mass of 7 kg moving upward and to the right.
Measuring the angle θ from the +x – axis, the conservation of momentum equations in
the horizontal and vertical directions are
p 0 x  p fx
(4 kg)(5 kg)  (7 kg)v f cos and
p 0 y  p fy
(3 kg)(5 kg)  (7 kg)v f sin 
Dividing the y-component equation by the x-component equation yields
15
 tan  which implies that   37 from the +x – axis.
20
8. B
In a perfectly elastic collision, the angle between the two momentum vectors after the
collision must add to 90. So, 90 – 50 = 40 below the +x – axis.
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Momentum and Impulse
9. B
Conservation of momentum states that the total momentum of the system is equal to the
total momentum after the collision. Since the total momentum before the collision is
(0.2 kg)(10 m/s) = 2 kg m/s, the total momentum after the collision is also 2 kg m/s.
10. E
During the inelastic collision between the bullet and the block, kinetic energy is lost. But
the kinetic energy of the bullet and block immediately after the collision is transformed
into potential energy at their maximum height.
Free Response Question Solution
1. We begin by drawing the situation before, during, and after the collision:
Before
During
After
v
v
o
o
(a) 2 points
When the spring is completely compressed, the two blocks are at rest relative to each
other and must have the same speed. At this point, it is as if they are stuck together
immediately after an inelastic collision.
(b) 3 points
Conservation of momentum:
mv0  (m  2m)v f
v0
3
(c) 3 points
vf 
2
K
1
1
v 
2
(3m) 0   mv0
2
6
3
(d) 3 points
KE
The dip in the graph indicates the time during which the spring is compressed. After the
blocks separate, all of the kinetic energy is restored to the system.
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Momentum and Impulse
(e) 4 points
Since the kinetic energy is the same before the collision and after the blocks have
separated, it is as if the blocks have undergone and elastic collision, where both
momentum and kinetic energy are conserved. Thus, two equations that could be solved
for the speeds after the blocks separate are
1
1
1
2
2
2
mv0  mv f 1  mv f 2 and mv0  mv f 1  mv f 2
2
2
2
16